To prevent intruders from using an idle session, set timeouts for the ESXi Shell and the vSphere Client.

ESXi Shell Timeout

For the ESXi Shell, you can set the following timeouts from the vSphere Client and from the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI).
Availability Timeout

The availability timeout setting is the amount of time that can elapse before you must log in after the ESXi Shell is activated. After the timeout period, the service is deactivated and users are not allowed to log in.

Idle Timeout

The idle timeout is the amount of time that can elapse before the user is logged out of an idle interactive sessions. Changes to the idle timeout apply the next time a user logs in to the ESXi Shell. Changes do not affect existing sessions.

Change the vSphere Client Timeout

You can configure the timeout intervals for vCenter Server operations. These intervals specify the amount of time after which the vSphere Client times out.

Prerequisites:

  • Required privilege: Global.Settings
  1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to the vCenter Server instance.
  2. Select the Configure tab.
  3. Under Settings, select Advanced Settings.
  4. In client.timeout.normal, enter the timeout interval in seconds for normal operations.

    The value cannot be less than five (5).

  5. In client.timeout.long, enter the timeout interval in minutes for long operations.

    The value cannot be less than five (5).

  6. Click Save.
  7. Restart the vCenter Server system for the changes to take effect.